Odd tone
Just days after the train blasts in Bombay, Altaf (name changed) turned 50. I am talking to him that day, so when he mentions this, I say, without really thinking, “Happy birthday!” Only to realize that he has not stopped talking, and is saying: “I’m not celebrating my birthday this year. Very close friend of mine died in the blasts.”
This close friend was a man who worked in finance, left work for home that evening and was blown up on the train. Not a Muslim, like Altaf, which has some relevance to the story. His wife and Altaf work together in a school. They’ve known each other for years.
I say, inadequately, that I’m sorry for his friend’s death.
Altaf says, “You know what? I went over to the house to be with the family. His wife introduced me to everyone as Altaf-bhai.”
There’s a noticeably odd tone in his voice as he says this. It’s almost as if he was surprised by that “Altaf-bhai“, while knowing he shouldn’t be. This was, after all, a close family friend, and it was natural that she would call him that. Yet the immediate aftermath of dreadful atrocity is a strange time, when people fall prey to prejudice and easy finger-pointing. Must be Muslims who were responsible, they are always responsible, so there had better be some introspection among Muslims, and why haven’t they condemned the blasts enough? (Never enough). Common thoughts, expressed often.
Then this woman, in her moment of profound grief. Treats Altaf like the close friend he is, like always.
So the odd tone in his voice.
July 17, 2006 at 1:33 am
I think its time you stopped your hysteria. Where did you see poeple pointing fingers to all Muslims en-masse? As a matter of fact your shameless campaign in reverse guilt-introduction is a slap on the face of Mumbaikars who dealt with the aftermath with courage, valor and honor.
July 17, 2006 at 2:01 am
Dilip,
While your ability to fathom people’s odd tone is commendable, blaming muslims and blaming Islamic terrorists are entirely two different things.
You are doing no favor to Altaf-bhai by posts like these.
Also,
”Must be Muslims who were responsible, they are always responsible, so there had better be some introspection among Muslims, and why haven’t they condemned the blasts enough? (Never enough).”
So if you have ano other options to offer except Islamic terrorists, then please offer your input, instead of these sly remarks. Subsititue Islmaic terrorists in first line and Muslims will not automatically follow in the second.
One thing I agree with,this condemnation of blasts bit gets to me, whether a Hindu does it or a Muslim does. No, I have no interest in any Muslims condemning it.
Sigh! Everytime there is a blasts, the same nonsense starts that Muslims are beeing blamed, tll the next one strikes. As we all know next blasts are around the corner, you might as well save this post.
July 17, 2006 at 2:12 am
What D’Souza is saying is that those who were killed and maimed in the blasts are not the real victims, and we should not prioritize our concerns towards them or their bereaved loved ones.
What D’Souza is hoping for, is to create the impression that anyone who speaks out against the perpetrators of the blasts are hate-mongers, fascists, etc, etc.
D’Souza hopes to pre-empt and counteract the reactions which rally a society to its own defense in the face of terror. Because D’Souza doesn’t want terror to go away. Because terror and social conflict are the drama that he feeds upon.
D’Souza wants to stigmatize any reaction to the blasts, by selectively singling out certain ethnicities as haters, as finger-pointers, and as alienators.
D’Souza is a very determined and predatory manipulator.
July 17, 2006 at 8:42 am
dilip,
1. please spare a thought for the guy who died and his widow, instead of worrying the world to death about how people address the birthday boy. well, at least for these few days after the blasts. we can worry about the repercussions on muslims and hindus and everyone else later, if at all.
2. “His wife introduced me to everyone as Altaf-bhai.” has it occurred to you that a majority of non-muslims may actually behave like the wife? i don’t know what you expect, but i think the wife’s behavior is commendable, not exceptional. i would reiterate barbarindian’s question: “Where did you see poeple pointing fingers to all Muslims en-masse?”
i suggest we stop lamenting the hypothetical potential reaction against muslims for at least a few days, and think about those who died first. i thought this post was a bit untimely.
July 17, 2006 at 9:50 am
confused, I’m doing no favour to Altaf-bhai? I wonder how people presume to speak for utter strangers. Altaf specifically spoke to me about his tangled emotions on being introduced like that by this widow.
Tanuj, of course the widow’s reaction is commendable, certainly not exceptional. Where did you get the impression that I meant it any other way? I mentioned it precisely to make that point: at a time when people so easily get up and say things about Muslims (example: “Muslims must introspect and condemn, in unequivocal terms, maybe through fatwas, the religious overtones of the attacks, said here), here’s a actually bereaved woman who doesn’t.
Admirable in every respect.
As for timely or not, that’s your opinion and I respect it as always.
July 17, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Dilip,
Am aware that logic ain’t exactly your forte. But did you manage to get the obvious fact from this post – that you are a bigot? Some may refer to you as a closet bigot. But I don’t exactly see anything being in the closet here – this is exactly what Thackrey or Mulayam or SIMI or the RSS do. Just that they don’t have a guy who does not mess with punctuation.
July 17, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Dilip, as an agnostic, isn’t it logical not to recognize the difference between religions and refer to people as people and not as hindus or muslims?? Isn’t it better to say, when u are confronted by religion based accusations, that you only believe that there are harmful people and those who aren’t harmful??
July 17, 2006 at 2:48 pm
hello dilip,
this is a very touching post.
thank you.
i also see it has invited very interesting comments.
you what, if this is closet bigotry, i wish there were many more closet bigots.
PS: I’m linking to this post on my blog.
July 17, 2006 at 5:34 pm
You can access your blog from http://www.pkblogs.com. The Pakistani Bloggers have provided an alternate route.
Roshan Kumar
July 18, 2006 at 1:50 am
People grossly underestimate Dilip. If an idiot like Krish wrote this piece of fiction, it would run something like this:
My friend Altaf, who happens to be a colleague of a woman widowed by the blasts, visited her home to pay his condolences. As soon as he alighted upon the scenario where several other friends and family members were present, she shrieked like a banshee and caught him by the collars, shouting “terrorist, you killed my husband!”.
Of course Dilip is far more cunnning.
July 18, 2006 at 7:22 am
here’s how you can bypass proxy settings and acess blogs including those at blogspot.
http://www.pranavnegandhi.com/notadesigner/2006/07/big-brother-vs-nerds-round-1.html